In an emotionally-charged third match of the 9th Asia Cup men’s field hockey tournament on Day 1, Malaysia put up a good performance to score 10 goals against 2 from Chinese-Taipei (Taiwan).

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The stadium paid tribute to the late national player Chua Boon Huat (Marcus) with a minute’s silence. He was killed in a road accident in Kelana Jaya on Aug 1. His family from Melaka has been invited to watch the match from the VIP box.

3. Malaysia (yellow) vs. Chinese-Taipei (red)

Malaysian coach, Paul Revington, didn’t want to take credit away from Chinese-Taipei, saying the opponents ran hard and defended as well as they could.

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However, he continued, “It was frustrating to concede two goals. We need to track the ball better in our next match.”

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Paying tribute to Chua, he said, “We have lost a good friend, a team mate.”

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Captain Shahrun Nabil added, “The loss of Chua and the role he had played in the team were grossly felt. We could have played better.”

7. Man of the Match - Malaysia’s No. 13 Ashaari Muhammad Firhan

Malaysia is aiming high to win this Asia Cup, although the team has virtually qualified for the World Cup next year, pending official confirmation.